The Key to Bible
Understanding

CHAPTER I

GENESIS: CHAPTER I

1. Do chapters I and II of Genesis, in
regard to creation, differ from the Theory of
Evolution?

Yes. The Bible says: "In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth." (Gen. 1:1) "For thus saith
the Lord that created the heavens, God himself that
formed the earth and made it; he hath established it,
he created it not in vain, he formed it to be
inhabited; I am the Lord; and there is none else."
(Is. 45-18)

"And God created whales, and every living creature
that moveth, which the waters brought forth
abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl
after his kind, and God saw that it was good." (Gen.
1:21)

"And God saw everything that He had made, and
behold, it was very good." (Gen. 1:31)

2. Just what is the theory of Evolution and how
old is it?

The theory of Evolution is about 100 years old. It
runs directly counter to the Genesis account of
creation. Genesis is definite. God created. Evolution
claims a slow but continuous development from simple
to complex forms of life, even including man. The
Bible speaks of the disobedience of man and his
punishment. (Gen. 3:17-19) Evolution argues the
existence of a continuous line of progress. The
differences of the Bible account of creation and that
of Evolution are fundamental and far reaching. One
Bible student put it this way: "The Evolution of
Species is not only an undemonstrated, but an
undemonstrable scientific guess."

3. Is there any fundamental law in Genesis,
Chapter I, that Evolutionists have tried to
overthrow?

Yes, "and God said, Let the earth bring forth the
living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping
things and beast of the earth after his kind; and it
was so." (Gen. 1:24)

4. Can you breed species of different kinds,
example sheep and hogs, cows and horses?

No. To be able to do so would overthrow the
fundamental law of creation, everything after its own
kind. (Gen. 1-11)

5. In Gen. 1:26 we read, "And God said, let us
make man in our image." Question "Who is the Us in
this verse?

6. Do we have further details concerning the
formation of Adam and Eve?

Yes. In Gen. 2:7 we read, "And the Lord God formed
man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul." Paul said in ICor.15:45, "The first man Adam
was made a living soul." Eve was made from a rib
taken from Adam. (Gen. 2:22)

7. Is a living soul immortal?

No. A living soul is man, animals, or anything
that breathes the breath of life. (Gen. 7:15, 22)

8. Does the Bible use the word Soul in various
ways? Can you give specific examples?

Yes. The word soul is used several hundred times
in the Bible, but no where is the word immortal used
in connection with it. Animals are called souls. Num.
31:28, Job 12:10) Souls die and are destroyed. (Ps.
33:19; Mat. 26:38, Job 7:15, Rev. 16:3, Acts 3:23)
Souls go to the grave (hell) and are delivered. "Thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell (grave)." (Ps. 16-10)
"But God will redeem my soul from the power of the
grave (hell) for he shall receive me." (Ps. 49:15)
"Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the
pit of corruption." (Is. 38:17) "He seeing this
before spake of the resurrection of Christ that his
soul was not left in hell (grave)." I Cor. 15:55, "O
death, where is thy sting, O grave (hell) where is
thy victory?"

9. If the soul is immortal as nearly all the
churches believe and teach, where, according to this
theory, does the soul go when the body dies?

The good soul, according to theory, goes to
heaven. The words of the thief on the cross are
quoted to prove it, "Verily, I say unto thee, today
shalt thou be with me in Paradise" which is heaven,
according to the theory. One Evangelist in Little
Rock, Arkansas said, according to the paper, "The
Bible teaches that one second after you die you will
go to heaven if you are saved and you will go to hell
if you are not saved – He took the thief to
glory. He was a convict in the morning and a saint in
the evening."

10. What is the true teaching regarding the
thief on the Cross?

To understand this much misunderstood text, let us
ask, what did the thief request? "Lord, remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom." This shows that
the thief understood the gospel, the glad tidings of
the kingdom. What is the Kingdom but Paradise
restored? The thief's request will be granted when
Christ is King over all the earth (Zech. 14-9) when
the prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in
earth" is a reality and when the kingdoms of this
world are become the Kingdom of our Lord and of
Christ. (Rev. 11:15)

The Diaglott rendering of Jesus' request of the
thief is as follows: "Indeed, I say to thee, This day
thou shalt be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43) If
the thief went to heaven that very day, he got there
before Christ went. Christ was 3 days in the grave,
before God raised him from the dead. After God raised
him from the dead, he spent 40 days on earth
"speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of
God." (Acts 1:3)

1. What important and far reaching event
took place in the Garden of Eden?

The first man, Adam, was placed in the garden "to
dress it and to keep it." (Gen. 2:15)

2. Did God give Adam a law? If so, what was
it?

Yes. "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest
freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil; thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day
that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."
(Gen. 2:16-17)

3. Was Adam alone in the Garden?

He was until God took one of his ribs and made a
woman. (Gen.2:22)

4. Why was she called Woman?

"She shall be called Woman because she was taken
out of man." (Gen. 2:23)

5. Was the command, "not to eat of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil," disobeyed?

Yes. The serpent beguiled Eve. Go ahead and eat
"Ye shall not surely die." (Gen. 3:4) This is the
first lie ever told, but it has been repeated
millions of times.

6. Who told the truth – God or the
Serpent?

People who believe the Bible will tell you that
God told the truth.

7. What was the penalty for disobeying God's
command?

"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns
and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou
shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy
fact shalt thou eat bread; till thou return unto the
ground; for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou
art, and unto dust shall thou return." (Gen.
3:17-19)

8. Was Adam in the garden when sentenced to
work, sweat, eat, die and return to dust?

Yes. (Gen. 3:17-19)

9. Why was Adam driven out of the
garden?

The Bible answer is very clear, but to get the
full force of this question, one must see the other
tree besides the one mentioned above, the Tree of
Life. "And now, lest he put forth his hand and take
also of the Tree of Life and eat and live forever,
God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till
the ground from whence he was taken." (Gen.
3:22-23)

10. If man is going to live forever as the
Serpent said, "Ye shall not surely die," hasn't God
made a failure in driving him out of the garden, away
from the tree of life?

The answer to this question is simple. Yes, God
has failed if the lie of the serpent is true, "Ye
shall not surely die."

11. Do you see God's love in driving man out of
the garden?

Away from the tree of Life man will not live
forever. He will die. He will perish. (Jno. 3:16)
"The dead know not anything." (Eccl. 9:5-10) In the
death state, "There the wicked cease from troubling;
there the weary be at rest." (Job 3:17) "His breath
goeth forth in that very day his thoughts perish."
(Ps. 146:4)

12. How is God's love manifested by letting
people die and perish?

To see God's love, contrast the Serpent's
teaching, "Ye shall not surely die," with God's word,
"Ye shall surely die," and I believe you will see
God's love. "God willeth not that any should perish."
(II Pet.3:9) He has offered eternal life to all
through Christ. If people refuse his offer, God
permits them to die and be no more. What good could
God accomplish by putting them in a devil's hell and
burning them throughout the ceaseless ages of
eternity? The Bible is very clear regarding the
destiny of the unsaved. In the death state the
"wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at
rest." (Job 3:17) "The dead know not anything."
(Eccl. 9:5) When a man dies "in that very day his
thoughts perish." (Ps. 146:4) "For yet a little while
and the wicked shall not be" (If he was in hell
burning, he'd be, wouldn't he?) "Thou shalt
diligently consider his place and it shall not be."
(Ps. 37:10)

13. Is the Bible doctrine of total extinction
of people like those in Noah's day, when "All flesh
had corrupted his way," (Gen. 6-12) and the wicked
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which the Lord
destroyed with fire and brimstone (Gen. 19:24), I
repeat, Is this doctrine as bad, as putting people in
the Orthodox devil's Hell?

Your common sense will show you God's love in just
letting people perish. There is hardly a family on
earth that has not had friends or loved ones to die
who never made any profession of religion, they cared
nothing about the Bible or God's offer of Eternal
life through Christ, they never did anything very
good or bad. To believe that God, who is love, would
put such people in a Devil's hell and burn them
throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity, is
unthinkable and yet, nearly all churches believe and
teach the lie of the Serpent, "Ye shall not surely
die."

All such teaching is based upon the false
doctrine, viz: "The soul is immortal and can never
die." The lie of the serpent has a powerful grip upon
the clergy. Many people flock into the churches to
keep out of hell.

Ingersall, in his lecture on "skulls" tells of a
terrible picture drawn by the "dear old minister" to
a group of boys showing them the doom waiting
unrepentant sinners in hell. He used the following.
"Suppose once in a billion ages, a bird should come
from a distant planet to our earth and carry off in
its bill one little grain of sand, the time would
come when the last grain of sand would be carried
away." "Boys do you understand?" When they said they
did, he added, "By that time it would not be sun up
in hell."

No. The Bible is the only book where the answer to
this question is found.

2. When people die, where do they go?

The theory is that the immortal soul goes to
heaven if the deceased is good, and to hell if bad,
or to Purgatory if not too bad. This question has
agitated the minds of people in all ages. I stood by
my friend, cold in death, and the minister said,
"Thank God there is no such thing as death, what
seems so is transition." One proof text for such
teaching is Eccl. 12-7, "The spirit shall return to
God who gave it." A careful study of the whole
chapter will show that the Spirit here which returns
to God who gave it, is the breath of life. It is the
same word as used in Eccl. 3:19 and translated
breath. Speaking of man and beast, "Yea they have all
one breath (spirit) so that a man hath no preeminence
above a beast (i.e. in the death state) all go unto
one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust
again." v. 20. In that very day (when man dies) "his
breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, in
that very day his thougths perish." (Ps. 146:4)

3. Is universal resurrection a common
belief?

Yes. All denominations so far as I know, except
one, the Christadelphians, believe and teach that all
who have died will be resurrected and brought to
judgment.

4. Doesn't the Bible say, "For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
everyone may receive the things done in his body
according to that he hath done, whether it he good or
bad?" (II Cor. 5:10).

Yes. The Bible says "we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ," but who constitutes the
all? Does it mean everybody who has ever lived and
died? Turn to II Cor. 1:1 and read, "Paul–unto
the church of God which is at Corinth." People who
rightly divide the word of truth will see that the
ALL in this verse is not every one who has ever lived
but the Church members at Corinth.

5. Paul says in I Cor. 15:21-22, "For since by
man (Adam) came death, by man (Christ) came also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die even
so in Christ shall all be made alive." Isn't the All
in Adam, the same as the All in Christ?

No. I've never found any one who will take the
position that people in Adam are new creatures, but
we read in II Cor. 5:17, "If any man be in Christ he
is a new creature."

6. Are all people in Adam by birth? Is the
death sentence resting upon all in Adam?

Yes. "By one man (Adam) sin entered into the
world, and death by sin and so death passed upon all
men." (Rom. 5:12). "For the judgment was by one
(Adam) to condemnation," verse 16, "By one man's
offense death reigned," verse 17, "Therefore by the
offense of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to
condemnation," verse 18.

7. Are people in Adam considered dead, even
though they may be going about their daily
tasks?

Yes. Writing to the church at Ephesus in Eph. 2:1
Paul says, 'And you (church members) hath he
quickened (the word quickens, Ps. 119:50) who were
dead in trespasses and in sins." The gospel comes; is
preached to dead (in Adam) people. People walking
according to the course of this world are "children
of wrath by nature." (Eph. 2:1-3)

8. Is there any scripture that seems to teach
universal resurrection?

Yes, and if you do not know how to rightly divide
the word of truth, your preacher will convince you
that all who have died will be resurrected.

9. Will you please give the scripture and an
explanation of passages which seems to prove
universal resurrection?

In John 5:25 Jesus says: "The hours is coming and
now is when the dead (in Adam, going about their
daily tasks) shall hear the voice of the son of God,
and they that hear (in the sense of accepting) shall
live"–only people in Christ shall live–be
made alive. Now to make this passage clear, let us
select a number say seven, that heard; they shall
live, get a resurrection.

Now read verse 28, "Marvel not at this; for the
hour is coming, in the which all (All who? Those that
heard in verse 25 above) that are in the graves
(marked or memorial graves, see analytical
concordance) shall hear his voice; and shall come
forth; they that have done good to the resurrection
of life and they that have done evil unto the
resurrection of damnation" (or 2nd death).

10. How do most preachers and radio speakers
quote verse 28?

All that are in their graves–instead of the
graves. (memorial graves)

11. Does the Old Testament say anything about
resurrection?

No. The word resurrection is not mentioned in the
Old Testament but that believers will be raised is
taught. God's promise to men of old can never be
fulfilled unless they get a resurrection.

12. Give some specific examples.

God promised Abraham and his seed the land of
Palestine. Gen. 13:14-15 reads "Lift up now thine
eyes, and look from the place where thou art,
northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all
the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed forever," Verse 17: "Arise, walk
through the land in the length of it and in the
breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee."

13. Was this same promise ever made to Isaac
and Jacob?

Yes. In Gen. 26:3 the promise was repeated to
Isaac and in Gen. 28:13-14 to Jacob. Now we read in
Heb. 11:13, "These (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) all
died in faith not having received the promises," (The
Promised Blessing, Diaglott rendering). To receive
the promised blessing, resurrection and eternal life,
they will have to be raised from the dead.

14. Who is the Seed referred to in Gen.
13:14-15?

Now, to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made. "He saith not, and to seeds as of many, but as
of one and to thy seed which is Christ." (Gal. 3:16)
No guess work as to who the seed is.

15. Are these promises to the Fathers (Acts
3:13) of any interest to Gentiles?

Yes, "for as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ have put on Christ–and if ye be
Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs
according to the promise." (Gal. 3:27-29)

16. Paul says in Rom. 1:16, "The Gospel is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth." Is there any gospel in these Old
Testament prophecies?

Yes, Paul says in Gal. 3:8, "And the scripture,
(Old Testament), foreseeing that God would justify
the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel
unto Abraham saying, in thee shall all nations be
blessed."

17. What does the word Gospel mean?

It means glad tidings or good news.

18. How many classes of people does the Bible
mention?

Three, the ungodly, sinners, and righteous. We
read in Ps. 1:4, 5, 6, "The ungodly are not so, but
are like the chaff which the wind driveth away;
therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the
judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous, for the Lord knoweth the way of the
righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall
perish."

19. Does the New Testament mention the three
classes?

Yes, but by different terms. People in Adam
correspond to the ungodly, and will never be
resurrected. They will never stand in the judgment.
Sinners are the ones that have put on Christ but have
not lived right and at the judgment they are the
unjust and will not be permitted to stand in the
congregation of the righteous.

20. Can you give other examples from the Bible
to make clear the three classes?

Yes. In Adam all die, they perish, no
resurrection. In Christ all will be raised. They that
have done good to eternal life, they that have done
evil to condemnation or the second death. (Jno. 5:29)
Paul writing to the church, Gal. 6:7-8 says, 'Be not
deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth
to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; he
that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap
life everlasting."

21. Will you please explain who constitutes the
"All nations" that are mentioned in Math.
25:32.

The Master gave the command "Go teach all nations,
baptizing them." Who is the Them? Does it mean all
nations? No. Only the taught ones out of all nations.
"When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all
the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the
throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered
all nations," (i.e. the taught ones out of all
nations.) (Mat. 25:31-32)

These taught and baptized people must come to
judgement. The sheep are placed on the right and the
goats on the left. This parable is not difficult to
understand when one rightly divides the word of
truth. Note carefully, the goat class go into
everlasting punishment, not everlasting punishing.
The second death is everlasting.

22. Can you give other examples from the Bible
showing the destiny of the two classes in
Christ?

Yes. Faithful and unfaithful, just and unjust,
wise and foolish virgins. It is a question of rightly
dividing the word of Truth.

23. Is there any positive proof in the Old
Testament to indicate that some people will never be
resurrected?

Yes, and you will be convinced of this fact if you
will take God's word. Read Is. 26:13-14, "Oh, Lord
Our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion
over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy
name. They are dead, they shall not live; they are
deceased, they shall not rise; therefore, hast thou
visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory
to perish." No resurrection for such lords or rulers.
Verse 19 of this same chapter you read, "Thy dead men
shall live," and in Jer. 51:39, 57, "drunk princes,
wise men, captains and rulers and mighty men who
sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake." If such
people ever get a resurrection they would certainly
wake. Ps. 88:5 speaks of people that lie in the
grave, "Whom thou rememberest no more." If people who
are not amenable to resurrection die, they perish.
(Jno. 3:16.)

24. Explain the difference between a Bible
resurrection and the popular theory of
resurrection.

According to the Bible, when people who are in
Christ die, they will be raised in the resurrection
at the last day. If approved, they get immortality;
if not, the second death. The popular theory is as
follows. The real man, that is his immortal soul,
either goes to heaven or to hell. The body is buried.
At the resurrection the good soul in heaven is
brought back and put into the resurrected body, and
the judgment takes place–what for? To see
whether the immortal soul is fit to go back to
heaven. The bad soul is brought out of hell, enters
the body and faces the judgment, what for? To see if
it should be sent back to hell–such theories
are incompatible to those who know the Bible.

Paul says in Rom. 1:16, "The Gospel is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to
the Jew first and also to the Greek or Gentiles." If
the Gospel is the power to save, is there any other
power? We do not believe there is.

2. Where did Christ begin His ministry? Did he
preach the Gospel?

He began His ministry at Nazareth. Luke 4:18, "The
spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor." In
verse 43 of the same chapter, "I must preach the
Kingdom of God to other cities also for therefore am
I sent."

Luke 6:20: "And he lifted up his eyes on his
disciples," and said, "Blessed be ye poor; for yours
is the Kingdom of God." In Luke 8:1: "And it came to
pass afterward, that he (Christ) went throughout
every city and village, preaching and showing the
glad tidings of the Kingdom of God, and the twelve
were with him."

3. Did the 12 Disciples do any
preaching?

Yes. Luke 9:2: "And He sent the 12 disciples to
preach the Kingdom of God," and in verse 6, "And they
departed and went through the towns preaching the
gospel." The gospel is good news about a Kingdom.

4. Did the followers of Christ have any idea
what Jesus, the twelve, and the seventy meant by the
Kingdom of God?

Surely they did, for in Acts 1:6 they asked, "Lord
wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to
Israel?"

5. Did God ever have a Kingdom in Old Testament
times?

Yes. I Chron. 28:5, "And of all my sons (for the
Lord hath given me many sons) he hath chosen Solomon
my son to sit upon the throne of the Kingdom of the
Lord over Israel." In I Chron. 29:23, "Then Solomon
sat on the throne of the Lord as King instead of
David his father, and prospered; and all Israel
obeyed him." In II Chron. 13:8 Abijah, successor to
Jeroboam said: "And now ye think to withstand the
Kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the Sons of
David."

6. Can you give a brief outline of the Kingdom
of God in Old Testament times?

The twelve tribes of Israel constituted the
Kingdom of God in Old Testament times. The first King
was Saul, the second, David, and the third, Solomon,
who built the temple at a great cost to the people.
When Rehoboam, Solomon's son, came to the throne,
Jeroboam led ten tribes to the New King and asked
that the taxes be lightened. Rehoboam replied: "My
father (Solomon) hath chastised you with whips, but I
will chastise you with scorpions." (I Kings 12:11)
This caused the kingdom to be divided. The ten tribes
with Jeroboam as their first king were known as the
Kingdom of Israel. There were 19 kings in this line.
The last King was Hoshea who had reigned nine years
when the king of Assyria carried Israel away into
Assyria. (II Kings 17:1-6)

7. What happened to the Kingdom of Judah, ruled
over by Rehoboam, after the ten tribes went
away?

This line lasted longer as a kingdom than Israel.
Zedekiah was the last king in this line. He became
very wicked and we read of him: "And thou, profane
wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when
iniquity shall have an end. Thus saith the Lord God;
Remove the diadem, take off the crown; this shall not
be the same; Exalt him that is low, and abase him
that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it;
and it shall be no more until he come whose right it
is; and I will give it him." (Ezek. 21:25-27)

8. Who is the He whose right it is?

This is a very important question. To understand
it, one must study the covenant made with David. (II
Sam. 7:12-16) The meaning of the Sure Mercies of
David (Acts 13:34) are connected with the Covenant
made with David concerning his son and heir. In II
Samuel 7:12-16 you will find the covenant God made
with David. In verse 11 of this chapter, God promised
to David a sure house. Now note the words of the
covenant: Verse 12, "And when thy days be fulfilled
and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up
thy seed after thee–and I will establish his
Kingdom forever." "I (God) will be his father and he
shall be my son." Verse 16, "and thine house and thy
kingdom shall be established forever before thee (i.
e. in David's presence) thy throne shall be
established forever." David understood that his house
was "for a great while to come." (II Sam. 7:19) The
everlasting covenant that God made with David was all
his salvation and desire. (TI Sam. 23:5)

9. Has this Kingdom ever been
established?

No. It is to be established before David, or in
his presence which cannot be until the
resurrection.

10. Where is David now? Didn't he go to heaven
when he died?

No. David is in the death state. He has not gone
to heaven. (Acts 2:34)

11. Is the Church the Kingdom?

No. Acts 14:21-23, reads: "And when they (Paul and
Barnabus) had preached the gospel to that city, and
had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and
to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the
disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the
faith and that we must through much tribulation enter
into the Kingdom of God, and when they had ordained
them Elders in every church." One can see that the
Kingdom is not the church. Church people are heirs of
the Kingdom. We read in James 2:5, "Harken my beloved
brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world
rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which he hath
promised to them that love him?"

12. When will the Kingdom be set up?

After Christ returns and the resurrection has
taken place, the faithful will hear Jesus say: "Come
and inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world." (Mat. 25:34)

13. How do you explain Col. 1:13 which reads:
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear
Son?"

The Diaglott rendering is as follows: Who
delivered us from the dominion of darkness, and
changed us for the Kingdom of the Son of his love. In
Col. 4:11 we read: "These only are my fellow workers
unto the Kingdom of God." The church members today
are heirs of the Kingdom, they have been changed for
the Kingdom, they are fellow workers unto the Kingdom
and they pray daily "Thy Kingdom come."

14. What did the Angel promise Mary concerning
her son, Jesus?

Luke 1:32-33 reads: "He shall be great, and shall
be called the Son of the highest; and the Lord God
shall give unto him the throne of his father David;
and he shall reign over the house of Jacob (12 tribes
of Israel) forever; and of his kingdom there shall be
no end."

15. Has Christ ever reigned over the whole
house of Jacob?

Christ has never yet reigned over the 12 tribes.
For proof, read Jer. 23:5-6.

16. Will you please explain the Valley of Dry
bones as given in Ezek. 37th Chapter.

This is a very important chapter and those who
know God's plan and purpose are watching the
fulfillment taking place today. The dry bones
represent the whole house of Israel for we read in
verse 11, "son of man, these bones are the whole
house of Israel." Israel has been buried, not
literally in the ground, but among the nations, and
in God's set time, "behold a shaking and the bones
come together" see verse 7. The Zionist movement, a
small beginning at first, but today, a world wide
movement, is responsible for thousands of Jews from
69 nations being placed in their own land. "I shall
place you in your own land." (Ezek. 37:14)

17. Will the two Tribes, Benjamin and Judah,
and the ten tribes be gathered back to Palestine and
made one nation?

God's plan and purpose is involved in this
question and the answer. Let the Bible give the
answer. Now read Ezek. 37:21 and 22; "Behold, I will
take the children of Israel from among the heathen
whither they be gone, and will gather them on every
side, and bring them into their own land; and I will
make them one nation in the land upon the mountains
of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all;
neither shall they be divided into two Kingdoms any
more at all."

18. Were the Jews ever one nation?

Yes. Saul, David and Solomon reigned over them as
one nation. Then the division into ten tribes and two
tribes took place, making the nation of Israel and
the nation of Judah.

19. Do the prophets ever refer to the nation of
Israel and the nation of Judah?

Yes. In Jer. 23:5 we read, "Behold the days come
saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a
righteous branch, and a king shall reign, and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in
the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved and
Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name
whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our
Righteousness."

20. What will the re-gathering of Judah and
Israel mean to the 12 Apostles?

To answer this question, let us quote Peter's
request as recorded in Math. 19:27: "Behold, we have
forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have
therefore?" Now note carefully Jesus' reply. "Ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the
Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye
also shall sit upon 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes
of Israel." (Math. 19:28)

21. When will Christ sit upon the throne of His
glory?

Math. 25:31 gives the answer. "When the Son of Man
shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with
him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory."
When he came the first time as the humble babe of
Bethlehem, ''He had not where to lay his head."
(Math. 8:20)

22. Do you have further proof that Christ will
come back to this earth? What is He coming
for?

The answer is found in Acts 3:20-21, "and He (God)
shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached
unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the
times of restitution of all things, which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since
the world began." For He must reign, till He hath put
all enemies under his feet. (I Cor. 15:25)

23. Just what do you understand by restitution
of all things spoken of by all the holy
prophets?

The word restitution means "restoring what was
lost." At first everything was very good. Now it is
very bad.

24. How is this restitution to be brought
about?

For 6,000 years man has ruled the world. Nations
have come and gone. It is true that God rules in the
Kingdoms of men. (Dan. 4:17) When any nation or ruler
does anything that would interfere with God's
purpose, that nation or ruler is removed. In Dan.
2:20-21 we read: "Blessed be the name of God forever
and ever; for wisdom and might are his. He changeth
the times and the seasons; he removeth kings and
setteth up kings." In this sense God rules in the
kingdoms of men. In the closing days of Gentile
governments the God of heaven will set up a kingdom.
(Dan. 2:44) This kingdom will be universal in the
earth. It will break in pieces the kingdoms of men
and shall never be destroyed or left to other people.
Christ is to be the King of this kingdom. He shall
put down all rule and authority and power. "For he
must reign till he hath put all enemies under his
feet. And the last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death." (I Cor. 15:24-26) "And let the whole earth be
filled with his glory." (Ps. 72:19)

25. Has the day for Christ to rule the world
been appointed?

Yes. We read in Acts 17:31, "Because He (God) hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge (rule)
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained; whereof he bath given assurance unto all
men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

26. Did God ever raise anybody from the
dead?

Yes. Peter, speaking to the Jews, said: "But ye
denied the Holy One – and killed the prince of
life, whom God hath raised from the dead." (Acts
3:14-15) We have no record of God ever raising any
one from the dead except Christ. "This Jesus hath God
raised up." (Acts 2:32)

27. Was the Kingdom of God preached after
Pentecost?

Yes. The Apostles tried to convince the Jews that
the Messiah they were looking for and who would
restore again the Kingdom to Israel, was Christ whom
they had crucified. We read in Acts 8:5, "Then
Phillip went down to the City of Samaria, and
preached Christ unto them." Acts 8:12, "But when they
believed Phillip preaching the things concerning the
Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus they were
baptized, both men and women."

28. What is meant by the "things concerning the
Kingdom of God" in Acts 8:12?

The Bible definitely points out six things that
concern a Kingdom viz: 1. The King. 2. The territory.
3. The subjects. 4. The helpers or co-rulers. 5. The
laws, and 6. The capital. The Kingdom to be
established is the restoration of the Kingdom to
Israel, the Hope of Israel for which Paul was bound
with a chain. (Acts 28:20) Christ is to be the King.
When Christ (accused of being a King) stood before
Pilate, Pilate asked this question: "Art thou a King
then?" (John 18:37) Jesus' reply was, "To this end
was I born, and for this cause come I into the world
that I should bear witness to the truth." The truth
of course is God's word which says in Micah 5:2 that
Christ was to be born in Bethlehem to be ruler in
Israel. The writing that Pilate put on the cross was
"Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." (Jno.
19:19) "Then said the Chief Priests of the Jews to
Pilate Write not, the King of the Jews; but that he
said, I am King of the Jews." (Jno. 19:21) The
territory of the Kingdom is to be the whole earth.
"And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in
that day there shall be one Lord and his name one."
(Zech. 14:9) See also Ps. 72. The subjects of the
Kingdom will be the mortal nations "All dominions
shall serve and obey him." (Dan. 7:27) The helpers or
co-rulers will be the saints scattered over the
earth, some over ten cities, some over five, etc.
(Luke 19:17-19) These helpers, after judgment, will
be Kings and Priests and shall reign on the earth.
(Rev. 5:10)

The laws will be impartially administered by a
righteous King. (Is. 11:1-5) The law shall go forth
of Zion, and word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The
nations will be rebuked and "they shall beat their
swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning
hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more." (Micah.
4:2-3)

No. 6 – The Capital City will be Jerusalem.
"The Lord shall choose Jerusalem again." "Out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem." (Is. 2:3)

29. Is the "Name" of Jesus Christ mentioned in
Acts 8:12 important?

Before Jesus went to heaven he said in Luke
24:16-17, "Thus it is written, and thus it behooved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day; And that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in His name among all nations beginning
at Jerusalem." The Name was added at Pentecost and
became all important. In Acts 4:12, we read, "neither
is there salvation in any other; for there is none
other name under heaven given among men whereby we
must be saved."

30. How does a person enter the One
Name?

In Acts 10, Peter, preaching to Cornelius and
referring to Christ in verse 43, says; "To Him give
all the prophets witness, that through his name,
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of
sins" and in verse 48 we read; "And he commanded them
to be baptized in the name of the Lord." "Through his
name" was a new doctrine to Gentiles. God has always
placed this name in his institutions. Under the law,
in the tabernacle; later, in the temple. "He
(Solomon) shall build an house for my name." (II
Cron. 6:9) Under grace, baptism, "can any man forbid
water?" (Acts 10:47) And he commanded them to be
baptized in the name of the Lord." (Acts 10:48)
"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." (Acts
2:38)

31. Please explain Acts 16:31.

Paul said to the jailer who asked, "What must I do
to be saved?" "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31) Now, what it is to
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it just that a
man called Jesus once lived on this earth? If one
really wants to know who the Christ of the Bible is,
he will follow the plan outlined by the Master in
Luke 24:27, "and beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself." Verse 44,
"that all things must be fulfilled, which were
written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets, and
in the Psalms concerning me." When one does as Jesus
directs, he can then intelligently believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ.

32. What was the real burden of Paul's
preaching?

"And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them,
and three Sabbath days reasoned with them (Jews) out
of the scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ
must needs have suffered, and risen again from the
dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you is
Christ." (Acts 17:3) At Corinth, Paul "continued a
year and six months, teaching the word of God among
them." (Acts 18:11)

33. When Paul came to Ephesus he found certain
disciples. (Acts 19:1) Why did he re-baptize
them?

These disciples had been baptized unto John's
baptism after Pentecost. Christian baptism into
Christ's name started at Pentecost, hence these
disciples had to be "baptized in the name of the
Lord." (Acts 19:5) Paul "went into the Synagogue, and
spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing
and persuading the things concerning the Kingdom of
God." (Acts 19:8)

34. When Paul stood before King Agrippa, Acts
26:6, what did he mean by "the hope of the promise of
God unto our fathers?"

The fathers–Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Acts
3:13) and the Seed, Christ, (Gal. 3:16) had certain
promises made to them. "All the land which thou seest
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever."
(Gen. 13:15, Gen. 26:3-4, Gen. 28:3-4, 13-14) All
scripturally baptized persons are heirs according to
the promise. (Gal. 3:29)

35. Why was Paul bound with a chain?

"Because that for the hope of Israel I am bound
with this chain." (Acts 28:20)

36. How did Paul spend his time in
Rome?

And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired
house, "preaching the Kingdom of God, and teaching
those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,
with all confidence, no man forbidding him." (Acts
28:30-31)

37. Is it important to preach the same gospel
Paul preached?

"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you let him be accursed." (Gal.
1:8)